The Peanut Butter Falcon

Movies featuring main characters with a type of physical or mental disability often have the risk of appearing insensitive towards the treatment of their condition. It's something that Hollywood has messed up in the past with a few example such as Radio (2003) and I am Sam (2001). Those kind of cases are where the sugarcoated story involving such individuals go overboard in being too sappy and exaggerates the behavior of the individuals. These can even reach annoyance with portrayal of autism where it can be glamorized to being a superpower (such as in The Predator where an autistic child was somehow able to figure out how to use alien technology). This brings us to The Peanut Butter Falcon, a comedy-drama that I knew nothing about except for the star power of Shia LaBeouf being most recognized. It had made its run in film festivals and would be popping on the big screen for a limited time during the end of the summer. I was in the mood for a feel-good flick to cheer me up for the rest of the year and left the auditorium pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

Behind the scenes note: After watching The Peanut Butter Falcon, I learned that the directors/writers actually met Zack Gottsagen and they tailored this movie for him due to his desire to become an actor.

What's it about? The story follows a young man with Down Syndrome who ends up traveling with a troubled thief in order to accomplish his dream of becoming a wrestler. An aspect of this premise that should be praised for is being more realistic with the treatment of its disabled protagonist. There are a few discussions spread throughout aimed at what's best for him with the limited options he has. The type of bond that forms in the story isn't anything new but the execution of what they learn from each other is endearing to watch. Despite how predictable and laid-back the story is, the journey they undergo is a nice delightful treat after a long dreary day.

That being said, there are a few hard to ignore weaknesses holding it back. There are some cliched plot characters that serve a purpose but one or two of them slow things down a bit whenever they pop up. The ending eventually get pretty crazy once a destination is reached and does something that's wildly different from the somber comedy from the majority of the film.

How are the actors? In regards to the main duo of Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen, both of them are the strongest in making this comedy-drama work so well. The endearing effort from Zack in portraying a sympathetic underdog looking to accomplish a goal is very charming to watch. Shia pulls in a great performance to match as a realistic individual who grows to adapt to his traveling companion with Down Syndrome to motivate him to see his own value. An honorable mention goes to Dakota Johnson for not only being great as a soft warming presence with her acting but for also finding more positive roles in her career following her time with the Fifty Shades series. A small complain with her would be wanting a few more scenes to highlight how good she is so she doesn't get too overshadowed by the two leads.

Overall Consensus: The Peanut Butter Falcon is an entertaining feel-good film that's strengthened by its strong lead performances, sweet simple story, and encouraging positive tone throughout, despite its predictable narrative and cliches. ⭑⭑⭑⭑💻 Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes PG-13

Reasons to watch it: You enjoy feel-good stories that doesn't sugarcoat anything. You are a fan of the aforementioned actors. You want to see a respectful realistic treatments of Down Syndrome characters. You want to take a break from stale blockbusters.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike feel-good stories with predictable cliches. You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors.